<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Sentinel's Realization by FireGumm</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048320">Sentinel's Realization</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireGumm/pseuds/FireGumm'>FireGumm</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Transformers Animated (2007)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fighting, Limb loss, Most of the cons are going to be ocs, Sentinel is trying, Sentinel still has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, new powers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 05:46:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,372</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048320</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireGumm/pseuds/FireGumm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He wasn't a good leader. He wasn't a good friend. He wasn't reliable. He thought he was before, but so far the world has proven him wrong since graduation. It hurt. It hurt a lot. He wasn't needed. He just made things more difficult. He just hurt people now.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Big Change?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I figured I wouldn't post this video for a long while, basically never, but my BF finally convinced me I should after tons of nagging.I just hope this story isn't too cringie, honestly. Please enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It didn't come to Sentinel Prime very quickly. His realization came slowly as certain events unfolded. Optimus became a hero for taking down Megatron, Jazz left his team to join said Prime, and he found out that Elita-One was still alive but not as the sweet femme he remembered. He didn't exactly help with her situation when they first met each other after so long. Shock, guilt, confusion, and some anger lit up in his systems during their encounter. How could he believe her and be alright with that techno-organic being his Elita? Once he became Magnus was another event that drew him closer to his realization. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He wasn't a good leader. He wasn't a good friend. He wasn't reliable. He thought he was before, but so far the world has proven him wrong since graduation. It hurt. It hurt a lot. He wasn't needed. He just made things more difficult. He just hurt people now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>.<br/>Sentinel walked quietly down from the ramp leading into the ship to see Optimus' team. Ultra Magnus wanted to come by and see how well they were doing here on Earth. His ex-friend chose to stay on this mud ball after he became a legend, deeming that this planet was going to need someone to protect it. He held his head high despite not holding any emotion on his face. No emotion wasn't his thing. The mech didn't know how to hide them before. When he came to this planet it was usually with him exiting the ship with a smug or disgusted look. That was what got Optimus curious the most. "Welcome back, Ultra Magnus sir. How was the trip?" The young prime asked with a small smile present.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"It was well. There were no problems."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"That's good to hear. May I ask where the jet twins are?" That was another thing that Sentinel felt was his fault. The twins were finally ready to join an expedition group to check out some planets to research. He was proud of them but at the same time, he felt betrayed. They were the last two people he trusted to stay by his side. At least he felt like they didn't want to abandon him like Jazz. They craved adventure in their lives and being in the normal rankings of at this time didn't exactly give them the adventure they needed. Honestly, if they had another commander they could have gotten to explore sooner, probably. They talked about exploring plenty on their off-hours.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"The jet twins are on the elite guard expedition team." Magnus answered as he got closer to the small team. Sentinel was on his heels with his gaze straight forward, arms folded behind his back. He didn't even give any of the team snarky jabs. The drive to base was silent, eerily silent. As soon as they got to the base, the usually smug prime walked to the room he normally stayed in, closing the door behind him. What was he supposed to do here? He normally just watched the others work and would laze around himself. That was when he had a team. Now, the jet twins were gone and Jazz was on OP's team. Beautiful. Absolutely wonderful.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Magnus left Sentinel there after having a brief discussion about how the prime has been acting lately. He's been much more distant, obedient, and much more depressed. All of this seemed to happen out of the blue. It was concerning. Since the two had a bit of history, the Magnus wanted to have Optimus attempt to help his SIC. "I'll do what I can but he's never acted like that before. I can't make any promises of him improving with his time here. It might actually make him worse."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"It might but it might not. If you can make amends with Arachnia then you can at least find out the cause of his distress. You do seem to have that effect on people." With a final pat to the Prime's shoulder, the Magnus took his leave, wishing the young mech luck silently. This was not going to be easy. Sentinel wasn't in a chatty mood.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The other Prime stayed in his room with the door locked until his fuel tank made him leave it. He could hear the team happily chatting away in the main room. The only reason he could feel a sharp pain of jealousy was when he heard Jazz laugh at something that Bumblebee said. The laughter died down when they heard him coming, all eyes following him as he slunk by to the room they stashed their energon. The thing that surprised him was the pede steps he heard following him. The only time he turned to see who it was was after he retrieved a cube. "Yeah? What do you want, Optimus" He sounded tired. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, I know you might not care but I´m worried about you. Ultra Magnus said that you haven't been yourself. What's wrong?" He could see in Optimus' optics that he was prepared for Sentinel to say something like, "Mind your own business. Why would I tell a low ranking bot like you anything personal?" All he got instead was a hiss from the elite guardsman. "It's nothing important. Trust me. Just go back to </span>
  <em>
    <span>your happy little team, Optimus Prime."</span>
  </em>
  <span> The smaller mech quickly moved to the side as he quickly walked out and away from the curious team. He could feel a certain pair of optics following him longer that belonged to his ex-teammate. Their prime came out of the storage room with his ear fins slightly lowered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Uhh, boss-bot? What just happened?" Bumblebee asked curiously. "Why's he such a grump, like, more than usual?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I... I don't know. I think I'll take him out for a walk tomorrow. It might get him talking." Optimus sat on the couch again to watch the teens play a game.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sentinel recalled all of that as he wandered along an icy road on the outskirts of Detroit. He had a few conversations with Optimus and made the mech promise not to tell Black Arachnia that he was staying here, and instead told him to tell him before she ever decided to come over so he could lock himself away in his room to not bug her, heh. Driving out here on this planet just wasn't that easy for him. Bumblebee would always mock his driving behind his back or when he thought the elite guardsman couldn't hear him. Of course, he could hear the noisy twerp, he wasn't exactly quiet. The roads were slightly icy outside of the city limits, most likely because these country roads weren't as popular. He decided to be a kind spark and help out any humans he saw struggling out here. As the sun dipped lower behind the horizon he began seeing things out of the corner of his optics. It probably wasn't anything, just his imagination. He just didn't want to go back to base once he heard Optimus comm him, telling him Arachnia came over for a surprise visit. Maybe she was the one stalking him out here.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>...Or it was Lockdown. That mech would kill for the sword and lance he had. Sentinel lowered his left hand and activated his shield and lance, his carefree stance becoming one of defense. He heard a large branch snap somewhere nearby. It didn't help him to know that he was standing basically on a cliff. The road he was patrolling was right next to a drop off into the ocean below. "Hey, I heard you! No point in hiding! Arachnia, you following me?" Just as he suspected, no one replied. It was most likely not her at this point. Pede steps were darting around in the forest on the other side of the road, but they sounded far too heavy for Arachnia to pull off. The dino bots weren't that athletic either. Someone with a grudge against him? He had plenty of those bots nowadays. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A dark, deep chuckle soon filled the atmosphere, making the Prime tense as saw purple lights shining in his direction from the woods. "Ah, the little Prime finally heard. That took longer than I thought. How'd someone like you manage to become Ultra Magnus' underling? Is it because you are an elemental bot?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Pardon? The frag is an elemental bot?" He growled as curiosity seeped into his lines. Was he talking about bots like the jet twins? Well, he did donate his CNA to help make them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hmm? Oh my, you are stupid, aren't you? You don't even understand yourself! Haa, precious~ Ah well, I am only here to collect a few things from you. My boss wants you dead. Wants proof you are. Don't worry, I'll make it quick." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wah- ahh!" Before Sentinel had time to react properly, he felt something pierce through his chassis. He slowly looked down to see an interesting weapon buried in his chest. Some sharp, large arrow was jutting out of it with some line attached to the end of it. Energon spurted out of the wound once the weapon was sharply pulled out of him, splattering against the ground and him. A decipticon sized figure made its way out of the woods towards him, knelt next to his dying frame, and pulled a purple energon saw off of his back. "Well, I might have lied about killing you quickly. I missed your spark by the tiniest bit. Oops~ Oh well, I guess that just means you can scream more for me." The bulky shadow figure laughed sinisterly as it began to cut jaggedly through his cable and joints in his left arm, making him scream and reach for his comm, but his free arm was pinned to the ground with an arrow through his palm to keep it pinned. "Now, now, let me have some fun before you ruin it~" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was the worst thing he has ever experienced. The pain was becoming unbearable as static laced his pain-filled screams. His legs kicked helplessly under his killer until, slowly, his actions slowed and became weaker. Energon was pooling under him once his arm was severed and dangling from the con's grasp as he chuckled. "Aww, that is such a pretty sight~ No need to cry, little Prime, I'll see about sending your leader something special for you~" He could see the vague glow of a data pad as his vision blurred from energon loss. Was that a flash from a picture? His mind found that it didn't care as his body was soon picked up and tossed into the ocean. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>It's been days since anyone saw Sentinel. When Arachnia heard Bee talking to Bulkhead about the big chinned jerk not being around she got angry at Optimus. He was there and she wasn't told?! She was still mad at him! As she quietly went off on a slightly cowering Prime, Ultra Magnus drove quickly into their base. "Optimus, Jazz, have you found Sentinel yet? He does not do this normally. If he is ever missing, he doesn't stay away this long." Concern was present in his voice as his optics scanned the room. "Hello Black Arachnia, did you know that my S.I.C. was staying here? Or supposed to be here." </p>
<p>Jazz was very worried at this point. As the Magnus said, he never went off for so long. These new habits of the Prime's were concerning, very concerning. "I'm gettin' really worried, Magnus. We can go out searchin? I've already been lookin' in my spare time." </p>
<p>"Of course, Jazz. I was hoping to join your search."<br/>.</p>
<p>
  <span>It was cold. Frag, the cold was in every inch of his poor frame. When Sentinel tried to move his arms it felt a bit off. He could move his fingers on his right hand, but his left... What happened? His optics wouldn't obey him as he tried to will them open. No matter how much he tried he couldn't seem to find the ground that was supposed to be under him. It was almost like he was floating. Sentinel felt his consciousness slipping away from him slowly, but that didn't upset him as much as the fact as something began to pull at him, making him float off somewhere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riotchet was once a great medic under the tutelage of Ratchet during his golden medic years. She was an experiment just like the jetwins, but she was supposed to be the most precise and intelligent doctor Cybertron had to offer. But... unlike the jetwins, she was a failure. Yes, she was a great medic, but she couldn't deal with stress like they wanted her to. Emotions would be overwhelming for her on occasion and she couldn't handle major surgeries, always so scared that she would kill her patients. Once she realized she couldn't do what she was made for, she ran away. It seemed to be the best course of action at that time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The petite femme was sitting on a ledge near the ocean, soaking in the beautiful early morning sun as music blasted through her neko headphones. The young femme looked like a much younger version of Ratchet if he was a femme. Her knees were curled up to her chest as sleep tried to claim her, but what kept her awake was the sight of something in the water. It was slowly floating closer to the shore. The headphones were pushed down to the femmes shoulders as she stood up, then walked closer to the edge to get a better look. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>The frag is that?</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She waited for it to float closer before she gasped and jumped into the water. That wasn't just floating debris, that was a bot. Just by the size of it, most likely an autobot. "Uh, hey, you ok there? You online or offline? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please be the first one</span>
  </em>
  <span>." She called out to him before he helm sunk under the icy water. Bots shouldn't float. They are too heavy, even the few that are of her small stature. When the poor bot was close enough she grabbed his leg and began to pull him to shore. Dark blue paint, no distinguishing symbol to show which side he belonged to, and a missing arm. "Scrap, scrap, scrap! Hey, don't worry! I'll get you to my place and fix you up, ok? I remember what to do in a situation like this. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I think.</span>
  </em>
  <span>" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His frozen frame was now on land as she tried to figure out how she would transport him. "Fine then, frag! I'll carry you there." She managed to drag his legs further onto land to her home. Rio frequented this ledge because of how close it was to her home in the forest. A path was worn into the grass from her constant travels to and from her cave base. "Sorry 'bout the dirt and stuff. I'll clean your plating after I make sure you stay alive." Besides that big chin, he seemed handsome enough even with the dirt and grass sticking out of his plating. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her home only took fifteen minutes to get to even with her carrying a heavy mech. The cave entrance was hidden behind some small trees that she planted once she claimed this area as her own. The cave looked natural for the first part of it until you reached a metallic brown door that hid the rest of the cave from view. Riotchet quickly dropped his legs and tapped in the code for the door on a small keypad, watched it slowly open, then grabbed his legs again to drag him inside. It looked much better than one would expect for a cave, meaning she had enough time to turn the cave into a building covered in red metal. The walls had different scenes painted onto them in black to keep her entertained during her boredom-filled days and nights. Signs hung over doors to show which rooms were which despite her knowing the interior by heart. Maybe those were put up when the hope of finding others living here filled her. She drug him into the med bay, pushed him up onto a cushioned berth, and proceeded to find what she would need to weld his arm so it wouldn't leak. "Okay, that arm of yours is the top priority, then your hand. Looks like you got into a pretty rough fight with someone that plays dirty. Hope he thinks your dead for your own safety. Your systems seem to be unfreezing at a steady pace so I don't need to worry about doing that, but I'll need to sedate you until everything is fixed. I'm basically the closest thing to the best medic you're ever going to find here." She knew he couldn't hear her, but it was comforting to have someone there anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>What happened? Sentinel felt warmth was surrounding his frame as a voice fretted over him, saying something about how the "fragging ice ain't going anywhere". A groan left him as he attempted to sit up, only to be pushed back down by small servos. "No, no! You have to stay down for a bit. Let me get you some energon. Give me a moment." The voice sounded like it belonged to a young femme. For now, he decided to listen to her as he worked on moving his limbs and opening his optics. His arm felt off... Once he could see properly, he looked down at it. His joints froze up. From the elbow down his arm was missing. Not only was that disturbing, but the fact that his paint job and armor was different. Not only was the blue of his armor deeper, but the areas he had yellow painted on were now covered in eyes, almost as if it was plating. He pushed his fear down as he let his hand drift down his side to his waist, only to stop when he felt more ice on it. His optics drifted down to see the ice was shaped the same way humans commonly cut emeralds and more shaped ice was on both of his legs on either side of his tires. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Were his optics playing tricks on him or were there really large blankets kicked off of him? They were very warm too. "Hey, you're up up! Welcome back to the world of the living! Glad the well didn't want to claim you yet. I've wanted someone to talk to for a while now." That playful voice chirped to his right. The confused mech looked over to see... a tiny Ratchet? No, the bot was very feminine and way too young. "I... Who are you?" He questioned as she handed him a cube of energon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Well, the name is Riotchet, a former student under the great medic Ratchet and a complete failure to the government of Cybertron." Rio gave him a bow after sitting down at the foot of his berth. "So, what's your name and which side you on?" He nursed the cube for a few moments as his optics stared into her nervous ones. "You have red optics so... a con?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Eh, red? No, my optics can't- do you have a mirror?" </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Oh, uh, yeah, just give me a moment." The young bot stood up to go find her mirror in a different room. Sentinel held a servo in front of his eyes to see the red light gently shine onto it. At this point, he was worried about his appearance. The autobots wouldn't let him come back like this. He looked like a con. They would probably link him to a decipticon spy. She shortly came back to see his confused face while she gave him the mirror. "Why would you help me if you didn't know what side I'm on?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Well, it wouldn't be right to leave someone dying if you know how to fix them up. But which side are you on?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"... I'm an elite guardsman, Sentinel Prime. I guess now it would be a former elite guardsman. I mean, look at me! I look like a con and I let someone jump me! And he took a trophy with him..." He slowly let his servo rub over the stump of an arm he now had, a shudder of disgust going through him. Riotchet looked at his chest to see the lack of a symbol on his chest. "Well, hey, it's nice to meet you, Sentinel Prime! Look, you can stay here if you have nowhere else to go. I'm pretty sure I can defend myself if you try to attack me. You might be big but I doubt you have a weapon."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Aww no! My lance and shield! That fragger took them! Scrap!" He glared at the berth as his new landlord grinned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"If you prove to be trustworthy, I think I can find you a weapon."</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, it's been a month since Sentinel's "death" was brought to the team's attention, but said mech had no clue what was going on or if Optimus or any of them cared. He figured it would be a blessing for them at this point. Riotchet would scold him when he talked like that around her before she would send him off to collect gems and minerals from deeper into the cave or go see what exactly was trying to get into the base earlier that day. It was always little creatures at least. Only a week after he began to stay at her base he figured out he could use ice like the jet twins could use fire and wind. Since he had ice though he could make weapons, which was perfectly fine with him. The ice was pretty fragile when he didn't train it, but with just a couple of weeks, it was much sturdier. Riotchet was a pretty good sparring partner when he asked her if she knew how to fight. The most surprising about their match was her weapon. "Well, guess I'm a doctor of death." Was all she said as she pulled out a pole from a storage closet. With a quick tap on the ground, a red energon blade slid out of the top, turning the pole into a scythe. He couldn't recall just how many times his lance would shatter under her powerful swings. Rio mentioned she picked up training after stranding herself on this planet. Something called "anime" helped her learn how to wield it once she was finished making it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She also began to teach him how to use other weapons to help keep him entertained. "Hey, I made something for you. You said that the cons and loners come here a lot nowadays? And you also said you don't want anyone to see you like this, so I put together something for you. You know how much I love making things from cloth and fluffy stuff, right? Tadaaaa!" When he turned to see what his excited little friend made something soft but heavy hit him in the face. A surprised left him at the sudden impact, then he peeled it off of his head. It was a long black cloak that would easily cover him completely once he had the hood up. "Hurry up and put it on. I have something else for you too. I'm going to meet up with a Cybertronian merchant today to buy some more energon and rare cloths. Who knows, we might find you something too." His red optics narrowed at her before he began to fumble around with the cloak in an attempt to find out where the opening was. "I'm going to go gather up the stuff I'm trading with him. Gems and some of the stuff I make can be pretty valuable. Put this on when you're done messing around." Riotchet dropped a black helmet onto the ground next to him before she ran off to find her stuff. A growl left him while he finally managed to get the cloak on, his optics taking in the helmet. It looked like it would be able to fit his helm well. Who knows what measurements she took on him when he was asleep. That was a bit creepy to think about. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"How the frag do I even trust you? I have trust issues." The Prime grumbled to himself, slipped the helmet on, flipped the hood up, and walked down the long corridor to see if she was in her room. "So... how long have you been trading with this merchant? You sure he's trustworthy enough to see me?" She was exiting her room with a large black bag draped over her shoulder when he reached her door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"This bot is a bot that helped me leave Cybertron all those years ago. His name is Flashstep. It suits that sunny paint job of his, but not how slow and clumsy he is. Despite being clumsy he's a pretty good merchant. And the disguise looks good on you. Got a code name picked out yet?" She held the bag out for him to take the heavy thing while he thought about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well... It'll be something to do with my ability. I think I'll go with... Frozen Mist. I like that." The look he got from her said otherwise. "Hey, my name, I get to choose. Wait, does this helmet have a voice modifier in it?" The voice leaving him was deeper and rougher than his so that must be the case. The femme merely gave him a grin as she gestured for him to follow her outside. As the duo walked down another worn path she talked about how the gems she sold were ones she made. The ones he would harvest from the deeper sections of the cave were like parent gems. She'd shave off small bits of them so she could create new ones.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The duo could hear a ship landing nearby when they got to a clearing in the middle of the forest. Sentinel was almost worried about how little room they had to run around in the clearing if the need arose, but all of the trees meant more places to hide. The merchant she talked about did seem pretty friendly for his line of work, plus he didn't question who he was. He wasn't sure if he should be happy about that or question just who this guy meets with. Rio traded her goods for energon, some odd parts, some treats for both of them, and got cloth that seemed very durable. C'mon Mist, letś get to the base. I want to get everything put away. Thanks again for the business, Flashstep!" The mech waved to them before boarding his ship to take off. The trips seemed to be short and, despite Rio's loneliness, strictly professional. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn't take it anymore. Sentinel wanted to go check out the city, see if he could find Optimus and his team just to see if they were doing alright without his help. At least, that's what he was telling himself. The mech slipped on the outfit Rio designed for him, told her he'd be out for a while, then sprinted off to Detroit. He felt a mix of excitement and nervousness as the buildings grew closer. Would he run into anyone here that he knew? Optimus' team did protect this city after all. The starry night was cool, perfect for the mech. The only sounds one could hear were the crickets, owls, and his pede steps quickly crossing the land. He stopped once he reached the base of a tall building and peered around it into the empty streets. At least these people seemed to sleep at night. "Okay, how am I going to walk around without drawing attention to myself? It's not like I can transform with the clothes. C'mon, Sentinel, think." He flipped the visor up on his helmet and looked around for a solution to his problem. Maybe...</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A hum left him as he looked up at the building he was next to. "Bingo." He placed a hand on the wall, letting ice coil around it as it attached itself to the wall, then brought a pede up to help anchor himself because of his missing arm. He began to climb up it as a giddy giggle left him from his genius plan. Honestly, even on Cybertron, he's wanted to travel by rooftop, but it was incredibly difficult to do that if you were a groundling. Now that he could use ice, however, more doors seemed to open up. The climb took him a few minutes more than he wanted due to the missing arm, but once he did get to the roof, he stood at the edge of it to look over the city. It was a beautiful sight at least. The visor was back in place a moment later before he began sprinting across the roof, bracing himself for the oncoming jump. If a building could withstand a battle raging on it, then it could handle him jumping from one to another. Sentinel landed clumsily on the second roof from him being inexperienced. "Frag! Ugh, this is going to be fun with close calls like that." He forced himself to calm down before racing across the flat surface to the next one. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He ran around in random directions until he heard voices. He skidded to a stop and crouched down on the roof closest to the voices before peering over the edge. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Just great. Bumblebee is here. Why does it have to be him?</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Why did it have to be the little jerk and his techno-organic friend? It was so late, what were they doing out? "I'm tellin' ya, Boss Bot, I don't see any bots or cons. Unless they fit in these tiny doors, there isn't anyone here besides Sari and me!" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <span>"</span>
    <em>
      <span>Heh, you sure, tiny?</span>
    </em>
    <span>" </span>
  </strong>
  <span>A gruff deep voice menacingly said. It seemed to come from the shadows under his building, making him freeze. Bumblebee and Sari immediately got in their fighting stances, but that didn't prepare them for Bee being slammed into a wall by something... invisible. That wasn't right. How was the con doing that? </span>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span>"Tch, can't believe the boss is worried 'bout y'all. You're so puny. So fragile. So weak. Why do I gotta hunt ya down?"</span>
    </em>
    
  </strong>
  <span>The mech sounded so disappointed. Bumblebee pushed himself out of the wall as he frantically looked around for the mystery mech in question. The con must have some device or upgrade that makes him invisible. Sentinel felt like interfering but Bumblebee might get hissy about it. The young bot had an ego after all. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not only was the con invisible, but he was also silent. Not a great combo for a decipticon. Bumblebee decided that firing randomly was going to be the thing that saves him now. His stingers were activated as he told Sari to shoot. The techno-organic agreed after she was done comming Ratchet for backup. </span>
  <strong>
    <span>"Aww, look at this. Two pipsqueaks tryna hit me. </span>
    <em>
      <span>How adorably annoying</span>
    </em>
    <span>."</span>
  </strong>
  <span> The con was able to avoid the hits for the most part and smacked Sari out of the air, imbedding her into the ground. "Sari, you alright?!" Her yellow companion nervously called out. The only reply he got was a groan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <span>"Hasn't anyone told ya ta not take your eyes off the enemy, kid?" </span>
  </strong>
  <span>Came from behind the bug just before he was thrown forwards into the ground. He tried to stand up to fight, but the con took up standing on Bee for fun. Sentinel couldn't take this anymore. With a growl of irritation, he pounced down from the roof, successfully toppling the invisible mech off of Bee once his feet made contact with his back. His arm was covered in ice a second later as he pressed it onto what he assumed was his chasis and began to freeze the metal under it. He forced more energy into the action to make the ice spread rapidly until it consumed the con completely. For the side he was on, he was surprisingly small. Decipticons were normally much bigger than an autobot, but this one was just a bit taller than himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sentinel was glad he had a voice changer in his helmet at this point because he heard the question he's been hoping to avoid this whole night. "Uhh, thanks for the save, but who in the pits are you?" That annoying voice of Bumblebee's questioned. Then he heard cars coming. Great. "Kid, I go by Frozen Mist, but you can call me Sir Frozen Mist. And youŕe an autobot so why wouldn't I save you? You should probably check your... odd companion." Sentinel stood up to properly shake ice off of his cloak as the bug sprinted to Sari to check her injuries.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He found himself, pun intended, frozen in place once headlights shone down on him. "Bumblebee, are you alright?" The concerned voice of none other than Optimus Prime questioned as he quickly approached them. "I just have a few dents, but Sari might need some help!" Bumblebee called back. Optimus ran over, then so did Ratchet, Bulkhead, and finally Jazz. Jazz just had to be here. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Uh, Little Buddy, who's that?" Bulkhead curiously asked as he stood at Bee's side. "Well, he said his name is Frozen Mist. He can do stuff with ice. He froze the con attacking us." The covered mech crossed his arm over his chasis under his cloak as he felt optics on him. It was something he'd do if he needed some comfort in an awkward situation, or when he was in leader mode. A set of pedes made their way to his side. A red and blue arm came into his sights when Optimus held it out to him. "Thank you for protecting my teammate, Frozen Mist. I'm Optimus Prime, leader of this team. Would you like to come to my base so we can try to properly thank you?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Frag. Sentinel looked from the hand up to the other Prime's face before accepting it, doing his best to keep ice from creeping up the other's arm, but a bit was on his servo once he pulled back. "Sorry about that. I mean, I have a friend waiting for me back at my place, so, you know, gotta go." He backed away slowly before sprinting to a building, forming an ice spire under him to launch himself up to the roof. His pedes left ice prints in his haste as his nerves sent him flying from the group. Maybe one day he'd go to their base, but right now they'd recognize his armor. He needed something to hide his plating before he accepts an offer like that. He just didn't feel ready enough to be anywhere close to their base.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chpt. 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Riotchet was glad to hear more about the other bots on this planet from Sentinel once he returned. He barely talked about them when she would ask, but his run-in with them made him open up more. He described how he saw the team and what Optimus and Jazz were to him. "I guess I should be glad I treated him that way. He's now the hero of Cybertron and he has a team that treats him well. But... Ugh, I still feel bad about it!" That guilty feeling was something he suppressed for all those years and forced himself to not think about. "Then there's Jazz. I don't know why he left. I treated him well, I think. He said something about Prowl before I, uh, zoned out. I was upset. You understand, right? I vented to that mech once I got comfortable enough around him. I haven't had a friend like that in a long time, since my academy days." He removed his outfit earlier and was playing with the visor of his helmet. The femme was designing some armor to cover up Sentinel's as she listened to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You got me now. I don't judge a fellow bot, you know. I just speak what I see and hear. And from what I'm hearing, you got a bad history with most of those bots except for the medic, my favorite bot in the whole universe. I guess if you want to have a clean slate, just try to stay somewhat respectful. They did save Cybertron, right? I know it might seem difficult with what happened between you and them, but you gotta understand their side too, not just think you know what they were thinking. Now, what color do you want this armor to be?" Sentinel looked at her from his spot next to the wall, saying white he wanted it to be white. They stayed quiet as the Prime mulled over the information she gave him. It was difficult for him to understand other's opinions sometimes, but he didn't realize just how often he did it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wow, I fragged up a lot, huh?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Mhm." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It was a rhetorical question, Riotchet."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I know, but you needed an answer. I'll have this armor done by the end of the week. I already know what metals and materials I'll be using. It should be comfortable and you should be able to use your ice powers. You can thank me when I'm done with it." Rio shot Sentinel a smirk as he frowned at her. With a roll of his optics, the mech walked off to recharge and think about what happened that night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ultra Magnus discovered a datapad that Sentinel had in his room that he used to record events that have happened to him. Many different videos were recorded onto it with different dates and titles underneath them. The earliest ones were from when he was just getting out of the academy. The title of it was "That was my fault, I know it." He had the datapad in his office and hasn't dared listen to the recordings yet. It would be disrespectful if he listened, right? It's been a month since his S.I.C. has been declared dead. He hasn't been able to find a replacement, but he was very close to accepting Rondimus Prime as it. It just didn't feel right though. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was true that Sentinel did have a difficult time understanding what exactly he had to do since his team was split up, but he seemed to be attending to his work better after it. The leader decided that he needed to know more about what his Prime was thinking, so he pulled up the recordings on the datapad. One of the latest oneś was labeled, "What even happened?". With a click, the video started. Sentinel sat the datapad up on his desk before plopping down in his chair, a heavy sigh leaving him. "Okay, today Jazz decided it was a great idea to leave my team. He left the elite guard ranks basically! I tried to change his mind through some light bribery and a little bit of begging, but nope! He left me for Optimus' team! Iḿ the one that needs him the most, not those, those, gah!" He shot up out of his seat and began pacing in front of the datapad. "He's the only one I've been able to confide in since that incident with Elita at the academy. I think you'd understand why I feel betrayed, right?! I don't care if Optimus and his little team saved Cybertron from Megatron! If the world was already safe from him, why go to Earth and stay there when the cons were arrested? Would I have been able to change his mind if I just told him we could visit Earth more? Ugh, why does he have to like that mud ball so much?!" Sentinel stomped back over to the datapad and clicked it off, a glare on his face as he muttered things under his breath.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That wasn't the last video on the thing, but it seemed very insightful. Ultra Magnus shook his head briefly before shutting it down to give himself a moment to think.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The armor was finished a week later, just as Rio promised. She made it a bit differently than he anticipated. "Now, the way to activate this armor is to either slap it on your chasis or by stepping on it. It's mostly just to keep your identity secret, but I did make it to up your defense as well. The armor can take a major beating, that's for sure. Why don't you try this out soon? Give me some feedback." She extended her small servos to him with a medium, disc-like object in her hands. The front of the snow-white device had an energon blue snowflake on it to make up for him not having a symbol.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, thanks Riotchet. I'll go test it out now. I think I saw something on the monitors not long ago. I'll go see if it's something that needs its aft kicked." He gave her a toothy smile before slapping the disc against his chest. The disc began to melt against him and expanded quickly to cover his frame. The new armor moved along with his joints effortlessly as he bent his arm and legs. "I did not expect this. This is pretty cool! I'll still be wearing my cloak and helmet though." The Prime sent a wave her way as he excitedly ran outside to test it out. The cloak and helmet were picked up on his way out and put in their places easily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn't see anything yet, so that was good. "Might've just been a deer or something. For something organic, they aren't ugly." Sentinel muttered to himself, a sliver of hope that something would hop out to confront him. Since he took that decipticon down, he's been in higher spirits lately. He could defend himself better with this ability. He found himself wishing he had his left arm back though. Occasionally, he tried to cross his arms together only to remember he couldn't do that anymore. An irritated sigh left the mech as he ventured further from their base, his hand rubbing at the stump that remained of his left arm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sentinel couldn't hear, see, or sense anything hostile after being outside for an hour. "Yeah, I think it was a deer, Riotchet. Nothing seems different. I'll stay outside to keep an optic out still. Might get in some more training." He shot her that quick comm before wandering over to the base of a tree, sat down, turned his radio onto the news station for Detroit, and finally leaned back against the bark. For the most part, they were talking about useless things in his mind. The weatherman talked about the weather for this week and the next, another man talked about traffic, another talked about sports, and finally, finally, something interesting popped up. A rouge decipticon was attacking the city. He must be very crossed about Megatron being behind bars. It sounded like the con was causing a lot of destruction to an area as well. "Rio, something's happening in the city. I'm going to go check it out." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Got it, Sentinel! Be careful, okay?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"C'mon, you know who you're talking to?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sentinel found the building he climbed the other day, made his way up it, jumped almost gracefully between rooftops, and eventually found where the fight was happening. He could hear Bumblebee annoying the con with his voice to probably get his attention from the rest of the group. Optimus could be heard shouting at his team to dodge when it was necessary and when he wanted them to do something else. The Prime skidded to a halt before crouching down at the edge to watch. The scene was somewhat exciting to watch from his position, but he wanted to be closer. If he did that though, he could get in the middle of the fight. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well... is that really a bad thing?" He questioned his mind, shrugged then did his best to sneak down the back of the building to find a dark alley. One was not too far or close to the scene, which was perfect for him. The fight was happening in one of the less populated areas of the city with shorter buildings, few businesses, and a couple of restaurants. The con was the height you'd expect from a con, but he had interesting features. His paint job was a shade of deep red, his shoulder armor jutted out and upwards, his chasis and back seemed to be smooth, his waist had spikes sticking out of the sides, clawed black servos, and his legs were sleek. The most unique thing was the black forked tail he had.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The con would whip his tail around almost as if he was trying to sting the team with it. Bulkhead was doing his best to keep the con in one area by using his wrecking ball to corner him when he tried to run away. Optimus had Bumblebee and Jazz at his side as they did what they were best at, speed and agility. A growl of irritation left the con as he grew more and more irritated. He pulled a knife out of a small sheath on his waist and pointed it at Optimus, a beam leaving it straight at him. The mech dropped down and rolled off to the side as Bumblebee activated both of his stingers and shot back. Jazz had his nunchucks out and waited for the opportunity to get close enough to do his thing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It only took them a few more minutes to take that con down and cuffed, leaving everyone to congratulate each other a bit before Optimus commed someone. He was most likely calling Ultra Magnus to bring a small prisoner ship to collect the mech. The odd thing was Jazz leaving the group abruptly as the rest of the team worked on calming down and assessing the damage to the street. Sentinel had his back pressed against the wall as he watched them, jealousy creeping into his plating as he saw how well they worked together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, if it isn't that lil' stranger from before." A playful voice came from behind him, making him yelp and get into a defensive position. There Jazz was in all his glory, hips cocked to the right with his arms crossed, a teasingly playful smirk on his face. More pede steps came their way when the team was alerted by his yelp to only stare at the duo in surprise.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, Frozen Mist, it's good to see you again. But, what are you doing here?" Optimus asked curiously. Sentinel lowered his stance and took a moment to look at each mech present. "Um, I heard that there was a fight and came to see it. I don't always interfere, you know." His voice sounded a bit more unsure than he intended. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah... how do we know you aren't working with the cons though?" Bumblebee asked as he firmly planted his hands on his hips, an accusing glare on his face. "I mean, c'mon, we don't even know what you look like under that hood! What's the point of wearing it?" A huff of irritation left the cloaked mech after the bug was done talking. His voice was still one of the most annoying things he's ever heard. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bee looked nervously up at him for a second before Jazz stole the attention once again. "I'm sure this mech ain't gonna wrong us, Bumblebee. I can feel it. Now, you ready to come to our base or you gonna be shy still?" He placed a hand on Sentinel's shoulder, making the mech sidestep away after registering it. "Yeah, yeah, I'll go." He still didn't forgive Jazz for leaving his side for Optimus' team. The group transformed and was ready to drive off until their leader realized their guest hasn't transformed yet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You alright? Having second thoughts?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No, I just don't have a vehicle form. I don't need one or care for driving. I'll follow you by the roofs." He walked to a building, used his ice to stick himself to the wall, climbed up, and trailed after them easily from there. The base didn't look any different than when he last saw it. He leaned against the back of the couch as the team quietly began to talk to one another. The prime glanced around once more and saw the picture of himself on it the console for recon. Were they looking for him? "Hey, who's this guy? I haven't been on Cybertron in a while."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That's Sentinel Prime, he's MIA. I refuse to believe he offlined." Optimus responded with determination lighting up in his optics. "Despite how he acts, he's a strong mech when the time is right." Sentinel let out a quiet sigh but resisted shaking his head. Him being strong before? He was good at being a coward, that's what he remembered. "Do you need any medical assistance, Frozen Mist?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No. My friend is a medic. She takes care of me." He quickly replied. This armor was not coming off around them. He didn't feel comfortable enough showing them he was alive and almost completely fine. Optimus left it at that before he asked him to talk in private. The conversation was honestly a bit of an interrogation. The other prime wanted to know what brought him here and what exactly he was up to. "Well... I heard that a team of heroes lived on this planet, so I came by to see for myself. I haven't on this planet for long." He answered him as he leaned against a wall, his hand fiddling with his cloak. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"How'd you hear about us?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Travelers, traders, and my partner." Was the quick response he came up with. It seemed to satisfy the other Prime but also intrigue him. "I've noticed something. That white and black bot, I didn't hear anything about him from travelers despite him having an elite guard sigil. How come?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He's our newest teammate. He joined us to honor Prowl, our ninja that died protecting this planet. Plus, he loves music and finds human culture interesting."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That's nice and all, but what about his position back in his old squad?" Sentinel did his best to keep any hostility out of his voice. Jazz didn't give him a reason he left. Optimus took a moment to think about it. "Well, he knew that two of the members of his old team would become part of the Elite Gaurd Exploration team. It was a dream of theirs. And he just wanted a change of scenery. He liked his old team but he wanted to go explore new things."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"... Did he tell his leader he was leaving?" The cloaked mech asked, his voice darker than before. He had his arm crossed over his chest to mess with the stump of the other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I... I'm not sure? Why?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Just curious." He shrugged as Optimus gave him a confused look. "I think I'll keep my visit somewhat short unless something happens. Can keep that femme waiting forever." Sentinel pushed himself off the wall and walked away from him, giving him a small wave of goodbye so he could go talk to someone else or do something. Optics were on him as he walked around the main room. Sari eventually approached him with Bumblebee in tow, the duo offering him a chance to play a video game with them. "What's a video game?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, you're definitely playing now." Sari, despite not being that big, helped Bumblebee drag him to the concrete couch and shoved the modified control into his servos. He wouldn't admit it but these video games always seemed interesting when he saw an ad for them on their TV whenever he was forced to visit. Now, here he was, being forced to play one of these many games on a gaming console just as foreign with a bot he didn't like. His grudge never left him from his training camp days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Aww, c'mon, Frozen Mist! Don't be such a sore loser!" Bee was teasing him after their twelfth game. Sentinel lost them all. The controller connected with Bumblebee's helm a second after from the huffy mech he was antagonizing. Despite the pain, the bug was giggling and smiling like a dork as he rubbed his sore horn. "Sore loser much? C'mon, you're new to this. Its' only natural! You should have seen me against Sari when she first showed me them!" His guest was hunched over, arm crossed to grip tightly onto the nub of an arm he has left, Cybertronian murmurs and curses quietly leaving filling their section of the room. Sari was rolling around on the back of the couch, her laughing nearly killing her when she couldn't properly catch her breath. "Aww, you, heh, you two a-are sooooo cute!" She cried once she could breathe. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Gah, don't you dare say that! He sucks!" Sentinel growled, an accusing finger pointing to the yellow and black bot as his laughter grew. "Naw, she's right, you know?" It almost sounded like Bumblebee was flirting with him between his fits of laughter. The pat on the shoulder didn't help. He let out a groan of irritation when he finally calmed down, brushed Bee's hand off his shoulder, then retrieved his controller. "Rematch. I demand a rematch. There's no way I can lose again." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Actually, there was a way he could lose again, he discovered. "NO! I was so close! Augh!" The controller was being abused today, being tossed carelessly into the air. Just before it could hit the ground, Jazz caught it, light bubbly laughter leaving him as he watched the two. One was cradling his head in his hand as the other did his winners' dance. "Bee, lay off of our guest, yeah? Poor guy doesn't deserve such abuse his first day here. You good, FM?" He placed a servo on the others' back and gave it a pat. This time his kind affection wasn't denied. He's too busy loathing Bee's entire existence to care. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"M' fine."</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riotchet seemed to plan many things in advance for Sentinel once he met up with these bots because his helmet had a comm in it he could give to Optimus once the bot requests his number. Said bot was requesting it as Frozen Mist got ready to leave. "Is it alright to call on you if we need help fighting a decipticon, Frozen Mist?" Optimus asked, a curious glint in his eyes as he stared up to where his optics should be. "... Sure. I enjoy a good fight." The digits he needed for the helmet comm popped up for him to read off, then he left once he was sure he had them. The sun was well under the horizon, the perfect time for him to sneak home. Very few people were wandering the streets as he ran by rooftop. The run was much shorter than he thought it would be to get to the edge of the forest but was thankful as exhaustion crept into his systems.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey Boss-bot, he's kind of cool, huh?" Bumblebee chirped as he followed Prime down the hall. "Heh, he's a sore loser though." Optimus had mixed feelings about the mech they invited to base. He seemed to be a decent mech, but something seemed eerily familiar about him at the same time. Back on Cybertron when he was in boot camp, Sentinel would play games with the others in their unit, but he'd freak out when he'd lose. It was pretty amusing when he wasn't drunk. The larger prime always got easily upset when he was drunk and would constantly seek comfort from Optimus and Elita if something wasn't going his way. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He was... something else. He seems to be a decently skilled fighter at least. It makes me wonder if he fought for a side back during the great war. At least, I'm assuming he was part of it. He didn't even recognize Sentinel's picture."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Eh, he's saved my bumper already, so I think he's good. Did you see his armor? It's pretty cool!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>